Read Grey Star the Wizard Online
Authors: Ian Page,Joe Dever
Tags: #Fiction, #Fantasy, #Grey Star the Wizard, #Magnamund
You can hear a scuttling noise and the sound of a heavy object being dragged along the ground. Hurriedly you jump to your feet. By the pale light that filters through the tunnel you crawled through, you can see another tunnel leading out of the chamber. The sound is coming from there.
You dash to the far wall, pressing your body close to the tunnel entrance. You hope to be able to surprise whoever, or whatever, is approaching. It is you, however, who is surprised. After a few seconds a huge insect, at least three feet long and tugging laboriously at the carcass of a dead reptile, clambers into the chamber. Intent on its labour it does not notice you, poised to strike.
If you are wearing the Yabari Ointment,
turn to 72
.
If not,
turn to 83
.
Even before you can lift your Staff, a crossbow bolt flies past your head and plunges into the neck of the Shadakine warrior, who falls with a surprised look on his brutal face. The officer and his men hoot with laughter at the plight of their own comrade.
While the first crossbowman reloads, the other looses a bolt at you. The arrow burrows painfully into your shoulder and you lose 3
ENDURANCE
points. At the expense of 1
WILLPOWER
point you fire a blast at the bowman; he falls dead. The first crossbowman has now reloaded and you know that the odds on your surviving another bolt are very slim. Even if you manage to kill the crossbowman, you will have to fight the officer, and already your shoulder is beginning to stiffen. You are unlikely to be able to fight well in your present state.
You surrender to the Shadakine, throwing yourself at their mercy: a quality they seem rather short of.
As you charge at her, she smiles bitterly. ‘Fool,’ she says; ‘you have sealed your doom.’
Before you can reach her, she slips through the exit. You make to follow, but the room suddenly fills with Shadakine warriors. They pour into the room in overwhelming numbers through the trap door and the exit that Tanith has used.
The last sound you hear is the voice of Mother Magri ordering your death from within the safety of their ranks.
You have failed. Your life and your quest end here.
The waters of Lake Shenwu give off a foul stench. The heady vapours of this strange, yellow lake are thick and cloying. Your lungs feel tight and your breathing is laboured.
You come across the remains of a creature you do not recognize. Its bones have been stripped bare, how you cannot guess, for there is no sign of life. Your head feels heavy and your vision is blurring. You lose 1
ENDURANCE
point.
If you wish to continue your exploration of Lake Shenwu,
turn to 293
.
If you would prefer to climb the slope of the shallow basin and survey the base of the Wall of Azakawa,
turn to 118
.
You fall asleep once more; this time you will never waken. Something dark and terrible leaps from the fire, and steals your life and soul.
You have failed in your quest; your adventure ends here.
You focus your thoughts in meditation, weaving a web of enchantment and attempting to influence the minds of the Shadakine warriors who are fighting on the bridge. Suddenly the Shadakine officer in command turns and sees the crossbowmen. His face contorts in fury. He barks a command and ten of his warriors turn and charge towards the crossbowmen who look on in amazement. You have created the illusion that the crossbowmen are Knights of the White Mountain and, believing that the enemy are challenging their rear, the Shadakine have turned to attack this new threat. The use of this Magical Power has cost you 2
WILLPOWER
points.
With a blood-curdling cry, the Shadakine warriors hurl themselves at the line of crossbowmen who instantly loose a volley of crossbow bolts, killing five of their fellow countrymen. The crossbowmen then throw down their weapons and flee along the road with the remainder of their outraged comrades chasing at their heels.
If you now wish to fire at the remaining Shadakine warriors on the bridge from the safety of your hiding place,
turn to 88
.
If you wish to charge into the fray,
turn to 156
.
The thief lies dead at your feet. After searching the body, you find your money plus another ten Nobles, which you may keep. You may also keep the thief's Dagger. (Don't forget to mark these items on your
Action Chart
.)
You leave the alley and return to the narrow street.
The insect is unaware of your presence, and you keep very still. It continues to drag the reptile carcass across the room. Finally it disappears through the narrow entrance of the other tunnel, and you breathe a sigh of relief. You seize this opportunity and scramble up the larger of the two exits and into another sloping tunnel.
Using the remaining contents of the vial, you burn away the lock of the door. You no longer have any Ezeran Acid and must discard the contaminated vial. (Delete Ezeran Acid from your
Action Chart
.)
The lock falls away, and cautiously, you push open the door to reveal another landing. You step onto the landing and face two more stairways, one leading to the left and one to the right.
If you have the Power of Prophecy and wish to use it,
turn to 92
. (Note down this section number first as you will need to return to it.)
If you wish to take the left-hand stairway,
turn to 80
.
If you wish to take the right-hand stairway,
turn to 45
.
You call encouragingly across to Shan who stares nervously over the edge of the precipice into the deep crevasse. ‘Come on Shan; it's easy. Quick now, there's no time to lose!’
Shan returns your gaze with a doubtful expression on his face. He shakes his head. ‘I can't do it,’ he says, weakly. ‘I'll never make it across.’
You persuade him to throw his Backpack across to lighten his load, but he still lacks the nerve.
If you have a coil of Rope,
turn to 194
.
If not,
turn to 219
.
Following the road, you enter the forest. ‘This road is busy by day,’ Shan informs you. ‘Many merchants and traders use it to reach the Port of Suhn. If we are to hide ourselves and rest, we must leave the road and venture deeper into the forest for safety.’
‘The “pedlar” speaks the truth,’ says Tanith, glaring haughtily at Shan, daring him with her eyes.
Shan turns purple with rage.
Suddenly a knife flashes at your throat. Raising your Staff, you unleash a blast of energy (costing you 1
WILLPOWER
point) that narrowly misses the murderous cut-throat.
With a yelp of shocked surprise, the cut-throat turns tail and rushes back down the alley. You realize that while you remain here you are in danger. Retracing your steps, you watch him run into the narrow street and turn a corner. You follow the sound of his footsteps for a while, but soon you can hear nothing.
You grab the Kazim Stone and throw open the door of the antechamber. Standing in the circular room you see Tanith the young girl in the service of Mother Magri. ‘Grey Star,’ she says; ‘at last I've found you.’
‘Beware,’ warns Shan. ‘She is a Shadakine slave; she cannot be trusted.’
If you wish to attack the young girl,
turn to 67
.
If you wish to question her,
turn to 147
.
The dust storm continues to rage furiously; it gives no sign of abating. As darkness falls there seems to be no alternative other than to sleep here for the night, and hope that you will be able to continue your journey in the morning. You are hungry and must eat a Meal now or lose 3
ENDURANCE
points. The night passes without incident and you regain 1
WILLPOWER
and 2
ENDURANCE
points.
The following morning you continue on your way, following the banks of the Azan as it leads through the Wilderwastes and into the Azagad Gorge.
Gently, you shake the sailor by the shoulder. ‘Your pardon sir, are you feeling all right?’ you ask.
The sailor opens his bleary eyes and frowns at you. ‘Who wants to know?’ he snarls.
And before you have spoken another word, the angry sailor jumps to his feet and takes a wild swing at you, upturning the table and spilling ale everywhere.
You are knocked off your feet, and hurled backwards to the floor. You must lose 1
ENDURANCE
point. Dazed, you feel someone grab you by the collar and push you through the door. You tumble into the market square outside.
With Shan at your side, you run to the top of the stairs. Above your head is a trap door. You throw it open and step into a circular room. There are two exits. Through the crack around the door opposite, you can see a faint, yellow glow.
If you wish to open this door,
turn to 25
.
If you wish to take the other exit,
turn to 41
.
Taking careful aim, you send a bolt of white lightning into the backs of the Shadakine crossbowmen, killing two outright at the expense of 2
WILLPOWER
points.
The three remaining men look dazed and confused at this surprise attack. Shan can contain himself no longer, and before you can prevent him, he jumps to his feet. Brandishing his sword, he charges towards the remaining crossbowmen, emitting a loud warbling cry. He is so close to them that you dare not risk another long-range assault for fear of killing him.
If you wish to follow Shan to protect him,
turn to 99
.
If you would rather leave Shan to his fate,
turn to 145
.
Tentatively you push open the door and enter a smoky room. The inn is filled with the sounds of contending voices, shouting drunkards, and the laughter of serving girls. The customers are many and varied: merchants, seamen, fishermen, and all sorts of travellers rub shoulders here.
If you have no money to buy a drink, or if you would prefer to save it,
turn to 105
.
If you wish to buy a drink at the bar,
turn to 339
.
The insect stops and lifts its head. Its antennae wave in the air, searching all around. Suddenly, it fixes its many-faceted eyes upon you and, before you can react, squirts a jet of brown fluid from a hollow horn on the centre of its head. You dodge to one side and the fluid misses you, hitting the floor. You look down at where it landed and see that it is eating into the stone. The insect opens its pincer-like jaws and drops the reptile corpse. Then, it scuttles back the way it came.
If you wish to attack the insect with your Wizard's Staff before it escapes,
turn to 91
.
If you wish to chase after the creature,
turn to 98
.
In desperation, you raise your Wizard's Staff and unleash a crackling charge of energy that arcs above the heads of the crowd, and into the heart of the nearest Shadakine warrior. Your mind is in turmoil and you exert 3
WILLPOWER
points on the attack due to its undisciplined state. The Shadakine warrior screams in pain and falls to the ground; blue smoke coils from the blackened wound in his chest.
With howls of delight, the crowd surges forward and falls upon the remaining Shadakine warrior as he lashes out desperately all around him.
If you wish to seize this opportunity to jump to the ground,
turn to 196
.
If you would rather finish off the remaining Shadakine warrior,
turn to 224
.
You wake the following morning feeling refreshed after a good night's sleep. Restore 1
WILLPOWER
and 1
ENDURANCE
point. Both Tanith and Shan have already risen and are waiting expectantly for you to lead the way.